UPDATE:After a vote by the 14-member committee Lang Sias will representing House District 27 in the legislature.

Republican Lang Sias at the Arapahoe County Assembly in 2010. (Lynn Bartels, The Denver Post)

Either an Arvada businesswoman or a former Top Gun instructor who has tried a run before for the Legislature will be selected by a GOP vacancy committee today to fill the seat of former state Rep. Libby Szabo, who resigned after being appointed to the Jefferson County board of commissioners.

The 15-member vacancy committee for House District 27 will vote to send Christine Jensen or Lang Sias to the state House of Representatives.

Twelve people applied for Szabo’s seat, but their names are not being released. Jensen said she heard there very were some very high-caliber candidates so she was “honored” to be one of the final two selected.

Jensen manages the Arvada branch of the Cherry Creek Mortgage Co. and also serves as the chair of the Arvada Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee.

Good news for Republican Don Ytterberg, who has the unenviable task of trying to knock off Democratic powerhouse Ed Perlmutter: Libertarian Tyler Bagley has withdrawn from 7th Congressional District race and endorsed him.

“Understanding this race is so close, I am honored to support Don Ytterberg,” Bagley said, in a news release. “I believe his small business background and common sense solutions will benefit Colorado families. I ask third party and swing voters to support Don Ytterberg for Congress.”

“After analyzing Don’s agenda and meeting with him, it became apparent that we agree on most matters of importance to the people of Adams and Jefferson counties,” Bagley said. “I’m confident Don Ytterberg will improve things for District Seven.”

Republicans aren’t talking about unseating Perlmutter, and the congressman’s campaign admits it’s a much more low-key race this year.

“I’ll be frank: our campaign is different than ones you’ve been hearing about in the news,” campaign manager Chris Kennedy wrote. “We aren’t flashy. We aren’t gimmicky. You won’t find any special tricks up our sleeves — though we all know Ed does a pretty nice cartwheel. If you’re looking for drama, look elsewhere. We certainly aren’t the most talked-about campaign in the state — and we’re OK with that.”

Ytterberg said he had invited his 7th Congressional District opponent to debate jobs and the economy after the congressman’s office suggested those issues were the voters’ No. 1 priority and Republican and Democrat ideas should be vetted by voters.

He hasn’t heard back from his Democratic rival.

“I kind of feel like I am getting stood up for prom,” Ytterberg said. “I guess I can sit by the phone and hope he calls or continue to check my inbox, hoping he writes.”

In reality, without a primary it’s probably waaaay too early to talk debates. If I were Perlmutter I would tell Yetterberg, “Just keep sitting by that phone. Don’t move. I’ll call you.”

But in this election cycle, the focus will be on other races: U.S. Senate, governor and the Congressional District 6 faceoff between Democrat Andrew Romanoff and Republican incumbent Mike Coffman. In addition, some of the most high profile state Senate races are in Jefferson County, where Perlmutter has lived his entire life.

Yetterberg has served as vice chair of the state GOP and chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He ran for the state Senate in 2008, losing to state Sen. Dan Gibbs of Summit County.

Ytterberg touts his roots in the state. His mother’s family traces its history back to statehood and her grandfather was treasurer of San Juan County around 1890 and her dad was president of the Colorado University senior class of 1917.

[media-credit name=” Joe Amon, The Denver Post” align=”alignright” width=”270″][/media-credit] Joe Coors announced in January his bid for the 7th Congressional District. Staffer Greg Michalek is at his right.

Republican Greg Michalek and son Greg III.

Greg Michalek will always consider 2012 a watershed year.

He moved to Colorado to work on Joe Coors’ congressional campaign, accepted a job with the state Senate GOP caucus to handle press for the 2013 session after Coors lost and then celebrated the birth of his first child on Saturday.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter and his wife Nancy and family celebrate after his win over Republican Joe Coors in November.

Republicans finally thought they had a shot at unseating Congressman Ed Perlmutter when his well-heeled neighbor and friend, Joe Coors, jumped into the race, bringing a high name ID and same of the family fortune to fund the race.

The battle in Colorado’s 7th Congressional District was unique: not only are Coors and Perlmutter neighbors, sandwiched between Interstate 70 and Golden, but also their families go back years. Perlmutter’s parents lived next-door to Joe and Gail Coors. Joe’s younger brother and sister-in-law are godparents to one of Perlmutter’s daughters. Coors’ daughter once worked at Perlmutter’s law firm.

Republican Joe Coors and Democrat Ed Perlmutter have waged a, shall we say, spirited campaign in the 7th Congressional District. Every minute of today was spent squeezing out votes in Jefferson and Adams counties.

Congressional candidate Joe Coors and Gov. John Hickenlooper might be in different parties but they share a special bond.

Coors and Hickenlooper, then Denver’s mayor, were part of the 2010 inaugural class of “Pink Tie Guys,” seven high-profile Colorado men dedicated to help finding a cure for breast cancer. Coors’ wife, Gail, is a breast cancer survivor and served as chairwoman of the Susan G. Komen Denver affiliate board of director in the 1990s.

Coors, a Republican, is trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Golden, in the 7th Congressional District. Joe and Gail Coors recently took a break from campaigning to attend this year’s pink-tie event.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.